1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to a hair styling iron with hair curling and straightening capabilities.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of hair styling irons have been widely available and are generally classified into two types, one for hair curling and the other for hair straightening. That is, the prior hair styling irons have been designed specifically to perform either the hair curling or hair straightening. Consequently, the user is required to use different types of the hair styling irons depending upon the desired hair styling, i.e., hair curling and straightening. This is very inconvenient and cost-consuming for the user. There has also been known in the art a hair styling iron having a dual hair styling capabilities, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,739,151. The patent discloses a hair styling iron which provides two different hair clamping sections of different hair contacting surfaces in order to selectively effect styling the hair into different configuration. However, due to the lack of any cylindrical barrel for winding the hair and also to the structural limitation in this patent that the hair is always clamped between two opposing plates, it is not possible to curl the hair as expected by a conventional hair curling iron with a cylindrical barrel, although the hair can be successfully waved or straightened. In this sense, this patent also fails to selectively curl and straighten the hair.